Fiber reinforced composites include a class of composite materials that are specifically designed to exhibit superior properties such as resistance to fracture and reliability. Examples of such composites are 1-D, 2-D, 3-D and multidirectional carbon fiber/carbon matrix (C/C) composites and also carbon fiber reinforced, organic fiber reinforced, glassy (or silica, or alumina) fiber reinforced, silicon carbide fiber reinforced composites with carbon, or organic, or metallic matrix. These composites are soft and cannot resist wear in sliding bearing applications, particularly if hard particles like sand or dust are present. Diamond exhibits high hardness and wear resistance suitable for broad applications such as cutting tools, mining tools for coals, ores and rocks, and drilling tools for oil, but fracture toughness of diamond is low and the cost of large diamonds is high, which makes its application not always economical. These factors greatly affect the overall cost and complexity in making large area diamond sliding bearings.